A student is eligible to petition for a Writing Course Equivalency Review if either condition #1 or condition #2 (the full condition) is met:

1. the student has completed two semesters of composition at another university, and has received six total transfer credits labeled either ENGL 91002 or ENGL 91003 (listed under “equivalent course” on the transfer credit evaluation). The UConn Transfer Credit Office will award credit automatically if the student has six credits with both 91002 and 91003 represented in the credit allocation; OR,
2. the student has completed a composition course at another university, and has received at least three transfer credits coded either ENGL 91002 or ENGL 91003,  AND the student has completed an ADDITIONAL academic writing course they believe should have been transferred as a writing course from another institution, or a writing course from another institution that requires researched writing and has a significant focus on the practices and processes of composition in the English language. University of Connecticut “W” courses do not count as “an additional writing course” for the purpose of satisfying the first-year writing requirement, which is separate from the “W” courses.  Following General Education stipulations,  “W” courses are required by the University in their own right, and cannot be “double-dipped” to fulfill two different University requirements under the heading of “writing competency.”

Please see the decision tree above ("Are you eligible for a Course Equivalency Review?") to determine whether you meet one of the above criteria.

Students who transfer to UConn for the fall term must submit their request for a Writing Course Equivalency Review before they have reached 69 credits or before the end of the first semester of their junior year, whichever comes first.

Spring term transfers must submit their request for a Writing Course Equivalency Review before the student has reached 85 credits.

Students admitted to UCONN after earning 85 credits at another institution will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, but under no circumstances can we conduct Writing Course Equivalency Reviews for students who have earned 99 credits, who have completed the first term of their senior year, or who have only one semester remaining.

If the credits for a writing course are not coded by the Transfer Credit office as ENGL 91002 or ENGL 91003, in some cases students may apply for the waiver and request that a second course (only) be reviewed as “equivalent.”

The student must have at least one course that is transferred as a writing course, an equivalency determined by the Transfer Admissions office. If, however, the second course is not transferred as a writing course, the student may be approved to apply to have the second course itself reviewed.  The Director must either initiate or approve this request, and if the second course is not equivalent, then the course will not transferred as a writing course. To apply for such a special waiver, you must consult with FYW administration and submit official documentation (e.g., a syllabus and any other supporting materials that demonstrate the class is a writing course). The course must not only have substantial writing but should also focus on the practices of writing, including research, drafting, substantive revision, feedback, and further revision. A first-year seminar that required several pages of writing will not qualify unless the course focused on writing as a practice

Students who entered the University in the year 2010–2011 or later may apply for First-Year Writing credit if they received an English Language & Composition AP test score of 4 or 5. Students receiving an English AP score of 3 or below are not eligible for any University credit. Students who wish to receive AP credit must submit their scores to the Transfer Admissions office, not the First-Year Writing office. This option is not retroactive, and does not apply to any student who entered the University before 2009–10. If you transfer to a different school after using your AP credit here, you may be subject to that institution’s rules about AP credit. We cannot supply a syllabus to another institution for a course you did not take and pass while here.

Upon receipt of this documentation, one of the Directors of First-Year Writing will review the materials and determine whether coursework and the writing sample provided indicate the student has indeed produced projects that demonstrate the student has completed classes of similar rigor and breadth. Should you be granted a waiver, the information will be processed via Student Admin by the First-Year Writing office, and you will be notified via email. Requests for CERs must be submitted according to the deadline schedule below. Only if the deadline is met can you expect to be informed of the directors’ decision before the official registration date for the subsequent term.

SUBMISSION AND RESPONSE TIMELINE